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Marrowbrook Story Arc
The Marrowbrook Story Arc is the second story arc of Phoenix City Chronicles. During the course of this saga, Tal Kadorin's past is somewhat unveiled and we are introduced to three new heroes - the amnesiac swordswoman Kaylea, the haunted necromancer Kradu Phane, and the claustrophobic minotaur Azan - as well as the fallen priest-turned-deathmage Nathaniel Grassroot and his evil generals. It sets up the events for and immediately precedes the Feusang Story Arc. Plot Summary The second season opens with the introduction of two new heroes; the amnesiac swordswoman Kaylea who wanders into the small settlement of Marrowbrook, and Kradu Phane, a seemingly local necromancer who has been studying and later gets Kaylea embroiled in a quest to stop a sinister presence that has infected the land and caused the dead to become restless. Kaylea and Kradu journey to Marrowbrook Castle to discover the secrets behind the menace, but are captured by a ghoulish subordinate named Rugashi. In the next episode, the heroes from the first story arc journey to Marrowbrook, the nearest settlement to the domain of a fallen priest-turned-deathmage known as Nathaniel Grassroot. The town has an eerie feel to it, much to the surprise of Tal, Cellus, and Burk, who had been there before. Brother Light, who chose to leave his temple and accompany the heroes on this outing, reveals his personal reasons for doing so; he and his father once encountered this very evil when he was still a child and he means to exterminate it once and for all. Soon after, Nevara reappears with more bad news; Vincent, who regrettably went mad from bloodlust, is being manipulated into the service of the very evil they've come to destroy. Meanwhile, Cellus and Tal have a falling out over his flirtatious ways and Kage Manako mysteriously vanishes which, combined with learning of the disappearance of two heroes who previously tried to stop Grassroot, prompts the heroes to take action and storm the castle. The storming of Marrowbrook Castle proves to be a daunting task, as the structure is laden with traps, monsters, and all the hallmarks of an evil mage's abode. During the siege, Rugashi is confronted and overcome (with Kaylea and Kradu freed), Cerys proves invaluable in a trapped room only he has the talents to get through, Brother Light and Kradu become increasingly hostile toward one another, and Knuckles McDaniel proves a surprisingly competent diplomat by not only talking down the minotaur maze guardian Azan but convincing him to join their quest. The final battle with Grassroot proceeds after the heroes dispatch Vincent, who refuses to see beyond his delusion, and his vampiric cohort Eleanor. Predictably, Grassroot uses a combination of trickery and deadly spells to keep the heroes on their toes, killing Knuckles in the process and nearly doing the same to Cellus, all with Kradu and Nevara curiously steering clear of the action. Ultimately, Tal, Cellus, and Burk manage to combine their spiritual energy into a single exorcism which utterly destroys Nathaniel's physical shell. At that moment, Kradu and Nevara reveal that they have been casting an enchantment to trap the dark sorcerer's soul in a gem, which promptly applies itself, ending Grassroot's threat once and for all. The battle is over, but appears to have been so at a high price as the heroes gather around their slain companion. The idea occurs to have Brother Light revive Knuckles from the dead, but the priest simply notes that Cellus is capable and asks her to try. To her surprise, Cellus has indeed learned the art of reviving the dead simply by watching Light perform the same task during their journey. After the battle, the weary heroes retire to Marrowbrook to rest with exception to Nevara and Kradu who choose to depart together. Tal and Cellus reconcile briefly when the former tells his sweetheart about his feelings for her, but the moment is spoiled as Kaylea awakes with a scream from a disturbing dream of apocalyptic future events spearheaded by an armored warlord and, most frightening of all, a twisted version of herself. Cellus manages to calm her nerves. The next morning, Tal goes out to train himself in the nearby woods. Cellus wanders out to find him sometime later, but is confronted with, and possessed by, the vengeful ghost of Jacen Koriander, who uses her in a horrific plan to overtake the minds of the heroes and turn them against Tal, who he most blames for his death now that Vincent has passed away. Brother Light manages to save the heroes and temporarily ward off Jacen's influence, but the resulting emotional torture causes Cellus to withdraw into herself and blinds Tal with anger. The grasslander monk takes off in a fury to find and kill Jacen with Knuckles close behind. Category:Phoenix City Chronicles Category:Story Arcs